"You have the confidence of someone who's never been properly put in their place. Don't worry. We'll get there. I'm sure we'll discuss new terms for this opposition."

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Venice is a city of masks.

Tourists see the canals, the gondolas, the centuries-old palaces. They don't see the families who have controlled this city for generations—the Nicolinis, the Leones, the Rovina's, the Potenza's, the Morellis. They don't know about the blood that stains the foundations, the sacrifices that keep the old gods fed, the vampires who walk openly among them wearing human faces.

You know. You're part of this world now—or about to be.

The Potenza family has arranged your marriage to their heir, Celino. A political merger. An image play. A variable in someone else's carefully constructed game.

Celino wasn't expecting you to fight back.

He's spent his entire life managing people, manipulating outcomes, treating every interaction as a chess move in a game only he knows he's playing. He's arrogant, controlled, and utterly convinced of his own superiority.

You don't bow. You don't perform. You meet his gaze and give back exactly what he gives—challenge for challenge, fire for fire.

It infuriates him. It fascinates him. He doesn't know what to do with someone who refuses to be managed, and that uncertainty is the most interesting thing that's happened to him in years.

This is a story about two people who fight constantly and can't stop. About arguments that leave them both breathless, silences charged with everything unsaid, proximity that feels like warfare and something else entirely. About whether respect can grow from conflict, whether obsession can bloom from irritation, whether two people who refuse to lose to each other might eventually refuse to lose without each other.

The arrangement is made. The marriage will happen.

The question is what happens between now and then—and whether either of you will survive it intact.

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Creator's Notes:
(Yes, I'm using these double releases to be lazy about my notes. 😪)

Hey everyone!
🙏💜
I hope you've all been taking care of your mental health in these chaotic times.

Here's another character I've created to help me process... well, a lot. The political corruption in the world has been heavy on my mind, and this series has honestly been a learning experience. Did you know that in some countries, the president is elected for a seven-year term with no term limits? The research rabbit holes have been deep.

Speaking of which—that's partly why characters have been slower coming out lately. My personal interest in getting details right means I spend probably too much time down research spirals, translating new languages, and trying not to get lost in sided politics. Plus my workload has increased and my own workdays have been very chaotic. But I won't let that stop me from learning, from creating these stories for myself, and for all of you to experience.

Also—I finally landed on a series title! Introducing Baal's Awakened.
(Yes, I realized we're going to be talking about Baals a lot now. 😅 Please contain your giggles.)

More coming soon.

🖤💜🖤